Chapter 5
Baraggan fumbled with the sword in his hand. A white jewel was embedded at its hilt and sharp narrow grooves ran down the base. It was one of the few swords the Vasto of White had left as a parting gift before his departure.
Once again the sword was enveloped in a a dark purple mist that corroded any and all substances within it. However, the sword was different. Rather than age, Baraggan could feel the sword grow stronger as time passed by, its gleam, more apparent. How absurd! He felt the faint power within the sword, given off as Reishi, grow stronger the more he fueled his power.
He frowned, if one could even call it that with a skull for a face, as he got up from his throne. He gripped the sword in his left hand and swung it vertically towards the horizon where a formation of rocks stood erect. The sheer use of his power had multiplied the power within the blade from an ember to an inferno.
A collosal wave of energy arced out from the sword and obliterated the distant rocks. Reluctantly, he had to admit the usefulness of the sword. Its power as an ace was unquestionable with the way he could increase its power just by touching it.
His touch was death itself. Yet to the sword, it gave life and brilliance.
No enemy would ever suspect that he was charging an attack like they would if he was charging a cero. In fact, the usefulness of the sword could possibly outweigh the need to use a cero. Then again, the sheer destruction of a cero was not something he would ever give up.
A crude smile lit up his face before his tossed the sword away in frustration. His power would only serve to impede him should it come in contact with the Vasto of White's swords. Hmm...
When it came to power, the Vasto of White's was nothing to laugh at; how long it took to gain such power was another question. Wisdom comes along with age, and Baraggan had had his fair share of battles in his rise to kingship.
The King of Hueco Mundo returned to his throne, fully knowing his battle with the Vasto of White would take more than sheer strength. Goosebumps ran through his body, the foreign feeling of trepidation coursing from within him. It had been a long time since he last remembered feeling such an emotion, but then again, it had been a longer time since he felt the anticipation of battle- the battle lust. Despite the challenge that awaited him, he couldn't help the deep bellows that emerged from his mouth.
There was only three days remaining.
Baraggan stood opposite to the Vasto of White. "So you've brought more of you." He stated, his gaze falling over Harribel, Starrk, and Lilynette. "Did you realize your power wouldn't be enough?"
It was small talk, but it would be enough for Baraggan to determine his number of opponents. He was confident that if push came to shove, he could deal with Harribel and the other two, but along with Shirou...He refused to accept the outcome.
"It was more trouble than it was worth to leave them behind." Shirou said, recalling Lilynette's prior behaviour. She had been sticking closer to him ever since Baraggan's army had invaded. It would have been a hell of a hassle to leave her behind, and Starrk would not have helped. "Either way, I've come to fight as promised."
"..." Baraggan released his Reiatsu in a thick miasma of purple. "Then there's no more need for idle banter, I trust the others won't interfere, not that it would change anything."
Shirou did the same, but his, a thick white. "No, they won't." He gave a nod to Starrk and Harribel. It was his battle to settle, his nature as a hollow demanded it.
There was a calm silence before both disappeared, leaving behind nothing but upturned sand. It was testamount to the power in which both held that not a single hollow remained in the area.
Dunes were cleaved in two and obliterated by sheer force.
Range is his weapon. Stick close. "Perish!" Baraggan struck out with a sudden blow from his fist that never would have connected.
But Shirou's movements were slowed, his mind coming to a halt as he realized his hampered movement. It was too late to do anything but defend.
Shirou winced as the blow hit him, but quickly forced Baraggan away with a well traced projectile.
Pain soon flooded his mind.
Not good. Shirou could feel his insides withering, aging and dying. He had to put more effort for the outcome he wished to earn. "Trace on." Kanshou and Bakuya appeared within his hands. He needed to defeat Baraggan, but first he would have to deal with his injuries.
"Do you feel your death?" Baraggan laughed. "Do you now understand how utterly outmatched you are. Your weapons are one thing, yet your body is another."
Starrk's eyes narrowed at the sidelines. Baraggan's power was eating away at Shirou, parts of his chest fading into dust. Lilynette tugged at his arm.
"H-He'll be okay won't he?" Lilynette asked.
Starrk didn't answer, his eyes focused forward.
"I am the bone of my sword." Blue patterns of Reishi formed over Shirou's body. Structural analysis complete, focusing on enhancement of high-speed regeneration.
"I-Impossible." Baraggan readied his obsidian double-bladed hand-axe.
BANG
Baraggan reeled under the force of Shirou's blow. What was happening? This was absurd! "Argh." He groaned. His power had worked, there was no way it could have possibly been stopped unless... "High-speed regeneration!" Baraggan snarled.
"You insolent-!" Baraggan parried Bakuya to the left and struck down with an over head slash. Shirou blocked, forcing Baraggan to the left as he reacted with a subsequent kick.
Shirou was fast and his attacks heavy, Baraggan could give him that. But his death is now. "Respira." Baraggan pooled his Reishi into his mouth and breathed it out.
Shirou's eyes widened.
A black cloud. A dark cloud of death and utter annihilation. The air itself seemed to condense as trees, dunes, anything in the encroaching clouds path, faded away through time. If it were any other hollow, surely they would have perished.
"Cero!" The resulting blast did little to impede the approach of the fog. Shirou hesitated as he withdrew from the cloud, but he was no regular hollow.
Red, the sky itself matted itself in red.
Harribel's eyes dilated. There were...There were dozens of them, red spears that hovered in the path of Baraggan's Respira.
Not a single one, not a single one of them faded away.
Harribel brushed back a lock of hair. It would seem that there were plenty of things that she had yet to know of Shirou. She knew he was strong, that was a given, but it would be the first that she had seen him create a spear. The fact that he was able to stand after getting affected by Baraggan's power already had her mind racing for answers.
"I didn't think that would work." Shirou mumbled to himself.
Gáe Dearg, the Crimson Rose of Exorcism, the spear of a knight of Fianna. It was a spear said to nullify all magic, and hopefully by extension, the supernatural.
"-And I didn't think you'd be so stupid."
Shit! Shirou spun around just as Baraggan struck down with his weapon. If it wasn't for one of the spears intercepting the blow...He shook his head. He couldn't afford to lose the flow of the battle.
He spun away, clearing a great distance, to the point that Baraggan looked the size of an apple. He observed him, before tossing both Kanshou and Bakuya at him.
"Pathetic." Baraggan brushed aside Kanshou and Bakuya as if they were little more than toys, sending them both flying into the distance.
Spirit and Technique, Flawless and Firm.
Harribel turned her gaze towards Starrk. "Have you noticed it?"
Starrk nodded grimly. "He'll never win the way he's taking things now."
The fool, Baraggan could call Shirou nothing less. Here was the hollow known as the Vasto of White, a King of his own domain, and yet he would not fight to kill him. To fight not to kill, a peculiarity amongst all hollows not in the least bit commendable. It was much the same way as to conquer without shame, but to defeat a man without his death...that is only a decision for the strong. In the end, one's skill must be several notches higher to even decide such an outcome. The Vasto of White would rue this decision.
Our strength rips the mountains
Truly pathetic, Baraggan thought as he swatted away yet another pair of White's useless blades. Nothing would come of single-mindedly bombarding him with thrown swords. True they may not be affected by his power, but they were little more than mere swords.
Our swords split the water
Baraggan fumed as he batted away another pair of Kanshou and Bakuya. This this infernal hollow! How dare he believe something that obviously didn't work the first time, nor the second time, would work for a third time.
Our names reach the imperial villa
"I've had enough." Baraggan muttered before zeroing in on Shirou. He would put an end to this game.
The two of us cannot hold the heavens together.
What's going on? Baraggan's eyes seemed to narrow as he heard a faint whistling noise. He stopped his charge and leveled an observatory gaze at Shirou, faltering upon spotting the twin black and white wings within his hands. It wasn't much of a falter than it was a simple pause of a step, but the end, that was all that was needed. All to soon, Baraggan's senses alerted him to the presence of multiple projectiles honing on him and Shirou's rapidly approaching form.
"Crane Realm!"
"He got him!" Lilynette yelled as a huge explosion rocketed across the sky. She didn't know what Shirou did, but she did see how all the swords he threw all came back towards Baraggan and exploded into tiny shards which exploded into even tinier explosions.
"It's not quite over," Harribel said. "He'll have take things more seriously if he want to get anywhere close to defeating Baraggan."
"It's not too late Baraggan, let us end this fight and walk away." Shirou tried to appeal to Baraggan as the smoke cleared. A fresh scar now ran down Baraggan's face, his clothing tattered.
Those eyes. Baraggan seethed. "You take yourself as stronger?! You who are but a mere bug beneath my feet?!"
Shirou's gaze hardened.
"NO I will not concede, you shall be the one to die here today!"
What could he do? Shirou mused. How could he get to an outcome where both sides were saved? No matter how foolish the notion was, to Shirou, it seemed as if giving up such an outcome would be giving up on himself. Of course there were times where there was absolutely no choice but to kill, but he wouldn't think of those times; it wasn't as if he could completely remember them anyway.
Shirou traced his black bow as Baraggan charged. He would have to try harder.
He'll feint left as I set my aim, but that too is another feint, his true intentions - Shirou knocked a sword and fired.
In a straight beam, the twisted sword rendered the growing sand storm into a hurricane of flying gravel and old hollow bones. Baraggan was caught in the middle, and at that point, everything died.
He knew. Baraggan leveled a cold gaze at Shirou.
Everything, his charge, his dodging, everything was a feint. No matter, he had achieved what he had intended, and Shirou was too late to put a stop to it.
"W-What?!" Lilynette yelled as the sand beneath her feet collapsed
Starrk grabbed Lilynette before she could fall, and jumped away from the growing crater. Harribel was soon to follow.
"The Menos Forest." Harribel observed the new battle ground. "A clever strategy."
Starrk nodded. The trees would make for an obstacle to distance fighting.
The hollows of the menos forest cleared away as fast as possible. No matter how mindless they were, they could feel the power emanating from their immediate location.
"This forest shall be your grave," Baraggan stated. "From this forest we came, from this forest you shall return."
Shirou's gaze lingered to the fleeing hollows before he dismissed his bow in favour of Kanshou and Bakuya; that was when he felt it. He dropped to a knee and felt at his reserves. Damn it!
"Finally starting to run dry are you?" Baraggan rasped. "This fight was over from the second I laid hands on you."
Shirou's eyes darkened, he knew exactly what Baraggan was talking about. Kind of hard not to when portions of his reserves were siphoned away from him to fuel his regeneration. Even now he continued to do so.
It was then that an idea flickered through Shirou's mind.
It's worth the risk. "Trace on." Shirou straightened his back as Rule Breaker, a thin iridescent and jagged dagger, that is brittle and blunt, appeared in his hand. It was the dagger of the Witch of Betrayal capable of nullifying all magic without the adverse effect of killing him should he stab himself.
Shirou was a hollow, a soul tied down by its own soul chain. What would happen if he used Rule Breaker on himself? But Baraggan's power was that, a power. Rule Breaker would no doubt negate it, but at what risk?
With no more hesitation, Shirou stabbed himself at the area Baraggan had touched him.
"Shirou!" Lilynette yelled as both Starrk and Harribel widened their eyes.
"Aagh!" Shirou yelled as his vision went red. His body was on fire, a heavy weight settling within his chest. At his hollow hole, red tribal marks began crawling out, interlacing and forming an intricate red cross.
Rejoice, Emiya Shirou. Your wish will finally come true.
"Hahahah!" Barraggan laughed. "So this is how it ends! Pathetic, and so the true King stands."
"...N...Not quite yet." Shirou forced out. Steel entered his eyes, and with finality he stood on his feet. No longer would he needlessly use up his Reishi.
Shirou began to walk forward. Reserves running on a minimum, activating magic circuits.
"What's happening?" Harribel said, but no one could answer her.
Blue interface patterns began to run up and down Shirou's body. He was done playing, he could only hope that Baraggan would survive.
Trace set, conversion of life force into magical energy.Shirou let his magic circuits do their job and steadily, his reserves grew as particles of Reishi began to swirl around him. "Trace on." He held out an arm and Balmung formed within it.
"O sword, Let thee be filled." Orange light gathered around Balmung.
One step, then two, and then Shirou disappeared.
Where?! Baraggan's eyes surveyed the surroundings, but found nothing. Trying a different approach, he felt out with his Reishi only for his breathing to hitch.
"Balmung."
"Gah!" Baraggan yelled as he was blasted away. Damn it!Baraggan leveled what was left of his great axe at Shirou and charged.
Shirou disappeared once again.
"Coward!" Baraggan yelled. "Show yourself!" Baraggan spun full circle before prickles ran down his back.
"Behind you." Shirou kicked despite Baraggan slowing time around his leg. It was just that fast.
Baraggan was sent flying.
"Oh sword let thee filled." Orange light once again gathered around Balmung.
I can't withstand a second attack. Baraggan distanced himself and hid amongst the trees. What could he possible do? Options ran through his head. His time ability didn't slow Shirou down fast enough for him dodge, nor can he rot away Shirou's weapons. In terms of power - damn it! He didn't understand, they were near equal moments before, and he was the one with the edge.
"Your silence conveys your emotion."
Baraggan struck with his great axe and cleaved a tree in two.
"Where is the boastful King of Hueco Mundo?"
"..."
Once again Baraggan struck out with his weapon, only for his weapon to be sent flying.
"This is the end."
Shirou appeared in front of Baraggan, sword raised.
No! It will not end this way! Reluctantly, Baraggan pulled out a sword from within his cloak. It was the one from his first encounter with Shirou. No matter how hard he had tried, he couldn't rot the damn thing, but what he did accomplish was something far more.
Shirou's eyes widened in recognition. "Balmung!" He invoked quickly.
Baraggan swung the un-named sword at the same moment as Shirou swung. Both released a shockwave of power that blew both of them back. Both had unleashed a torrent of pure energy at each other.
Noble phantasm met Noble phantasm, even if the other barely qualified as an E-rank.
In Baraggan's long attempt to rot the blade, all he had accomplished was make it magnitudes stronger as time passed. As both combatants got onto their feet, one in surprise, and the other in contempt, they both just stared. Their surrounding were no more than ruins with not a hollow in sight except for Harribel, Stark, and Lilynette, who all floated in the sky.
It was Baraggan who moved first, tossing the blade in his hand away. It was an insult to his pride to rely on such a thing.
"Kill me," Baraggan said. He had lost his weapon, his powers didn't work, and his only chance at victory was to rely on a mercy gift from his enemy. His pride as a King would not stand such an insult. As a King - Anger welled up within him as he took off his crown and threw it onto the ground.
Shirou stood quietly and contemplated before he moved.
"Hueco Mundo still needs its King, and I am most certainly not a King." Shirou picked up Baraggan's gold crown and the thrown sword, and tossed it back to him.
For all intents and purposes, Baraggan was necessary. It was the fear of him that kept other hollows from fighting each other. So long as he made sure that Baraggan would not march another army into his lands to harm those under his protection, Baraggan would live. Otherwise his insurance in the form of the Noble phantasm in Baraggan's hand would do it for him. Not that Baraggan knew what it was. Although it was unexpected that it would help him, it was a Noble phantasm famous for taking the lives of its wielder when activated. If the time should ever come, Shirou need only invoke its name.
"Shirou." There was caution within Harribel's voice.
Shirou shook his head. "You can challenge me again at another time," he said to Baraggan.
The naivety of this fool. Baraggan stared at the crown, but did not move to place it over his head. He couldn't do so knowing that he had been defeated by another hollow. He would wait until he had the insolent fool dead beneath his feet using his own power. He tucked away the sword thrown back at him, a token of the battle. It would remind him of his loss just as much as his crown; it would push him to greater heights of strength through training, his blood boiled whenever he saw it.
Without another word, Shirou left with Starrk, Harribel, and Lilynette, a little hobble to his steps.
"We shall not be venturing into Hueco Mundo, Commander Yamamoto said." Gin Ichimaru grinned. "Not like you would be one to listen, ya got that gleam in yer eyes."
Aizen Sōsuke peered across at Gin, a smile plastered over his face.
"It's not every day that a new piece enters the game, new factors to consider, and plans to be mended." Aizen stopped walking as he and Gin came within reach of an experimental Garganta. "We are simply the players on the board who have taken the first steps."
"Are we there to observe? or..." Gin chuckled.
"We have yet to see now have we."
Chapter 6: A Silent Soul
He was dreaming again; he was sure of it, but could a hollow even dream?
A hill of blades spread endlessly around him covered with dirt the colour of rust. He didn't move, nor did he breathe. He was a sword, a sharp steel like the weapons around him. No purpose, no emotion, but regardless, ready for use, and it was killing him.
He was missing something. A desire that made him who and what he was.
It was almost like the eternal hunger every hollow he'd ever met described, yet it was different for him. He didn't feel the need to consume, rather he was repulsed by the fact. Kill another to further one's own power. His soul detested the notion just as much as he detested the hollows who fed on the humans. It was just wrong. He couldn't understand it. He was a hollow himself, yet his very soul refused to bow down to a hollow's base primal urges. Yet he became a Vasto Lorde?
He was different from the other hollows; that he already knew. Perhaps his evolution was different as well? It didn't matter. For as long as he could remember, he had always been in control of himself, and that's what mattered.
A soul of steel.
His shoulders perked, the faintest of whispers entering his ears, but it might as well have just been the wind with how silent it was. An eerie reminder that he was alone.
A world of blades.
A world of solitude.
But for what meaning? His very being yearned for it. Welcomed it, yet he didn't truly know it. Again, and again he found himself drawn to the dream, an image of some greater objective. His presence in the dream today was no different.
"What is it that you want of me," he spoke.
The sudden stopping of the wind was his only answer, a sword and sheath shining prominently in the distance.
His gaze lingered, unable to drift away. More than ever, he felt a single prominent compulsion. A desire. A need. And this time, he found it, a reason for his existence.
He closed his eyes.
I wanted to be a hero.
And disappeared from the dream.
The sudden stillness of the world revealed the restlessness from within.
"So he still can't hear us?" A sword shimmered before transforming into a murky figure obscured further by a thick haze.
"I'm sick and tired of this shit!" A spear shimmered, and like the sword, took an obscure form. "I want to fight!"
The world shook from the proclamation, spectres rising from glory filled steel. Others, from the dredges of curses and filth. The devil's armaments.
"And yet he can not hear you. Any of us. He doesn't even call our names," the first voice spoke solemnly.
"But he knows mine," A figure smirked, its body less obscured. "Used me to slay an army."
"But he used us to defeat a king," two other voices spoke. Two other spectres with their hands interlocked in firm grips.
"So what, he used me far that as well." The figure stopped smirking and glared at the other two spectres.
"But he hasn't truly used either of you," the first voice spoke cut in. "We do not know what we are, or how we came to be when all of us are simply weapons, but instinctively we know our purpose. We know we are at our strongest when linked to our wielder. He may know your names, but you both shared no links. To him we're still weapons."
"Then how do you suppose we change that!" the spectre of the spear shouted.
"We do what we've always done. We wait."
Shirou opened his eyes to a forming garganta.
"Lord?" The Raven-like hollow who took command of his supposed army, Brans asked for instruction. He had come to call Shirou by request of Lilynette, something he was still hesitant to comply with. The little hollow had the strangest ideas, and he didn't want her to be an influence on his King.
This was Shirou's one perch. The area he could be alone to think while at the same time remain vigilant for any harmful hollows. He released a breath. It had been only a couple hours ago that Baraggan had once again challenged him, and once again got repulsed. Each victory earned him unnecessary praise and admiration from those who lived along side him to the point where other hollows outside his influence thought Baraggan was weak. They were wrong.
Baraggan maintained the order, killing all who would question his power. That was exactly how it has been for the past few centuries, each new battle increasing both Baraggan's and his power by leaps and bounds, but inadvertently elevating his status to worship. These days, almost every hollow either feared, or revered him. And those that were in-between, were fellow Vasto Lordes. Yet even they, though rather subtly and without informing him, agreed with what the other hollows believed.
The Hollow King.
Shirou motioned Brans to stand down, sighing as Brans readily obeyed his orders. Was it too much to ask for more hollows like Starrk? At least they wouldn't be even close to devote.
Shirou stared at the forming garganta, curious of what kind of hollow would open a door directly within his area of influence. Few were those who would intrude on his personal space, but even fewer were those who would slight him. Well, not that he was particularly slighted, it was more a slight to those who looked up to him. What he would give to return to the old days where he wasn't in constant danger of heated stares? He shuddered. He couldn't understand them, the female hollows who took insult when he was the one insulted or disrespected.
Brans tensed as the garganta formed. How dare some random hollow intrude on their King. His feathered wings began to beat on his back, his restlessness revealing itself. But he didn't instantly move to attack, not when the King had decided to entertain this vagrant hollow.
A hollow slipped out, and it wasn't even an Adjuchas. It was a stupid hamster if anything. Brans raised his hands in preparation to eradicate the vermin who had the audacity to intrude on his King. It would be a mercy to be killed by him anyway rather than those ravenous females vying for his King's attention. Yes, it would be a mercy compared to what they would do if they found out some random hollow unfairly gained an audience with the King when others had yet to even speak to him.
The hamster looked up, as if suddenly just realizing where he was, and what the red cero forming in front of him meant. Pathetic thing. His King met his eyes, but he didn't lower his cero, simply waiting for a single word.
"My name is Grand Fisher," the hollow spoke quickly, rubbing at its bird-like hands and forgetting about the half eaten-human soul still held within them. "I-It was not my intention to intrude." Grand Fisher stuttered, flailing his hands and then suddenly realizing he was waving around his meal.
Brans saw his King's eyes narrow. Good good. Just give the word King, I'll end this filth.
The human soul opened its mouth to scream, but not a sound was heard.
Shirou clenched his fists as he watched silently. The human soul, a woman with light wavy brown hair, met his gaze once before Grand Fisher promptly swallowed her.
"My apologies, Vasto Lorde. I forgot about my meal," Grand Fisher said as he finished chewing. "Well now, I will just take my lea—"
A wave of spiritual pressure came crashing down, pinning Grand Fisher.
Brans raised a brow, but powered down his cero. His King would be the one to end this rodent it seems, an honour to great for some worthless hamster.
Shirou didn't know what to think.
You let her die, a voice whispered.
He tensed his muscles. Why hadn't he moved? He was faster and stronger than Grand Fisher, yet why? He already knew the answer. The human soul had already been partially consumed, its body missing its legs and half her torso. It wouldn't have been a mercy to let her live. Yet, it was Grand Fisher's fault in the first place.
"Hollows like you," Shirou took a step forward. "Sicken me." The pressure increased over Grand Fisher, his body compressing.
Grand Fisher couldn't even utter out a word. What had he done but eat a mere human? He struggled uselessly as he noticed the overpowering Vasto approaching him.
Shirou watched Grand Fisher's struggle, and felt nothing. He wasn't staring at another hollow, he was staring at a monster who he let kill an innocent before his eyes. He noticed Brans from the corner of his eyes power down his Cero. Good. Because there was one thing that he could do that no other hollow could. Purify a soul. He would save her, and all the souls trapped within this monster.
"Balmung." The army slaying sword appeared in Shirou's hands before he plunged it into Grand Fisher. Trace on. "O sword, let thee be filled."
Grand Fisher screamed, his body invaded by holy energy. So many souls in one hollow. Shirou could feel each one as they left Grand Fisher's body. It was revolting. The difference between a hollow who ate other hollows, and a hollow that ate humans, was the experience. Each soul purified revealed a memory of death. The pain, the misery of being forced away from one's loved ones.
Shirou increased the output of Holy Energy. He had seen and heard enough of the memories of each soul. A hollow like this, was not hollow to protect, but a monster to destroy.
Grand Fisher stopped screaming long ago, his body fading away with each soul lost. Green coloured fur receded into pale skin, bird-like hands and feet losing their scales and reverting to something more human.
Shirou's eyes widened as he quickly willed Balmung away. What just happened?
"My King?" Brans asked in confusion as he stared down at what looked like the female human soul moments prior. "Her spiritual pressure feels like a Shinigami's, but I also feel the presence of a hollow."
Shirou didn't respond, his eyes staring at the anomaly and analyzing her for what she was. Yet, it didn't make any sense. Like Brans had said, she possessed the spiritual pressure of a hollow and a Shinigami, and something else he couldn't quite make out. His structural analysis had even proved that her soul was somehow intertwined with a Shinigami's spiritual pressure even before she was eaten by a hollow.
Before he had anymore time to ponder on such a discovery however, she stirred.
Her hands twitched before she sat herself up and rubbed at her eyes. Blinking slowly, she stared confused out at the vast dunes of Hueco Mundo. She tilted her head, and gaped in wonder.
"You are in the presence of a King and you choose to gape at dunes!?" Brans demanded.
She turned her gaze on Brans and looked at him questioningly, unsure of what he was speaking about.
Brans fumed, but made no move to harm her. She was a fresh-born based on her actions, no memory, and still learning about the harsh world of Hueco Mundo. He was much the same once upon a time, before stumbling into his King's land. She deserved a chance just as much as he had. Still though, he crossed his arms in contemplation. Why was she humanoid? She couldn't possibly be a Vasto Lorde, not with her power output. Therefore, he broached the question that he knew was in his and the King's mind. "What are you," he asked curiously.
Shirou watched as she turned to look both of them in eyes. For Brans, it unnerved him to see such naivety in an inhabitant of Hueco Mundo. For Shirou however, it was different. It gave his goal of becoming a hero a new meaning. Not only to protect those who follow him, but to protect those before him as well.
Shirou and Brans watched carefully as she opened her mouth and spoke.
Yet not a word could be heard.
Chapter 7: Memories
They called her 'Silent," for she couldn't speak, but she didn't really care. After all, the world around her and the residents in it were far more interesting, especially the hollow called King.
From what she had observed, his name really wasn't 'King,' but regardless, it was what everyone called him. Aside from Starrk, Lilynette, Harribel, and a few others she had observed, no one else called him Shirou.
So, was his name King, or Shirou? It didn't really matter.
She felt the eyes on her again, and she shivered. She didn't like being different, her form remarkably human-like with only the hole hidden beneath her clothes to show off her hollow heritage. Unlike Starrk and Lilynette, she didn't even have a mask fragment. Then what did that make her?
Isolated.
She sighed, picking up her pace to get away from all the stares. Despite her appearance, she was stronger and faster than the average hollow, roughly equivalent in strength to Mila Rose.
Therefore, it hadn't taken her long to reach her destination, an isolated plateau near, but not at Shirou's perch. She wouldn't dare go there, for fear of any repercussions.
Glancing around her, she released a breath before raising her hand and slashed open a garganta. The residents in Hueco Mundo were interesting, and so was Shirou, but there was some sort of allure on the other side of the garganta. A calling if she had anyway of putting it that was far more compelling than her curiosity. She needed to find out what it was, if only to put to rest the longing in her being.
Glancing around once again, the desire continued to emanate from her soul. She couldn't stand it any longer, not after the past six years of holding it back. She jumped in, allowing herself to drift through the hole in space.
Unknown to her, and from afar, a pair of eyes closed before directing their attention elsewhere.
Shirou looked apologetically to Brans who stood beside him from their location by his perch.
Brans nodded. He knew what his King wanted of him.
"Understood." Brans opened a garganta and disappeared to watch over the new born. Even with her differences, to Brans and every hollow in the King's domain, she was one of them. A follower of the King.
As Brans left, Shirou turned his head to the spires of quartz rock. "You can come out, I know you're there."
There was a pause before a centaur-like hollow stepped out from behind the rocks. Her head was adorned with an oval visored skull with two protruding horns, her face streaked with red war paint that ran horizontal to the bridge of her nose. Her upper half was slim, her naval exposed below her green top, and smooth brown fur covered her bottom horse half.
"You're different from what I imagined," she spoke, stabbing the lance in her hands into the ground and crossing her arms. "You sent him, that other hollow, to guard the one that just left earlier, didn't you?"
Shirou stared into her eyes, trying to gauge her intentions. She was doing the same. "And if I did?" He ventured. He had seen the way the other hollows had isolated Silent, choosing to simply observe her from afar. Granted, he should have expected it with her differences, but he had hoped that things would work out without his intervention. At this point, Lilynette, and occasionally Starrk, Harribel, and Brans were the only ones to keep her company. Therefore, he couldn't fault her for seeking refuge in the human world, but he also had a desire to keep her and everyone who sought his protection safe. He was the protector, the one who defends the weak hollows and nurtures them with an abundance of reishi. Which subsequently lead to an increase in single souled hollows.
The hollow stared at him deeply, mulling over his words. She pursed her lips. "You really are different from what I imagined," she spoke at least. "Why would you aid all these hollows and use up your own reishi to further their evolution?"
He remained silent. He had no answer to that aside from it wasn't all his Reishi: Over half belonged to Starrk and Lilynette combined. That aside, it was something his very existence was compelling him to do. Like a distant yearning that would forever remain in his soul.
Evidently, the other hollow saw something in his eyes and promptly shrugged before smiling. "You can call me Nel," she said. "Pesche, Dondochakka, it's safe to come out."
Shirou raised a brow, before the sand erupted beside Nel. He had sensed the hollows approaching through a smell entering his nose in much the same way as he had sensed Nel.
He wasn't expecting the ginormous worm that carried them to spit them out and bury itself back in the sand.
"You brought Bawabawa," Nel stated.
"Well," Pesche rubbed at his head, and walked around leisurely, forgetting entirely about Shirou's existence, standing with his back turned to him. "He wanted to come along, so, Dondochakka and I figured why not. Now where is this famed King of Hollows. Hiding is he? Of course, he would hide from us."
Nel raised a brow as Dondochakka motioned frantically behind him. "He's right behind you," Nel spoke instead.
Pesche froze. S-Such skill. He could hear the soft breathing behind him. To have gotten past my defences… He jumped back towards Nel. How frightening. "F-Forgive me!" He spoke with a bow as a twitch formed over Nel's brow.
"Idiot!" Donochakka smacked Pesche over the head.
"H-He snuck up on me!" Pesche argued. "Otherwi-"
"Enough you two." Nel patted Pesche and Dondochakka's shoulders. "You're being rude."
"Sorry lady Nel," they both spoke.
Shirou didn't know what to make of the situation. This was starting to get out of his depth, but for some reason, he was used to these sorts of situations. Still though, there was a question that was bugging him.
"How did you find this spot?" How did you find me? He asked. Although he realized he had become quite famous, he knew that his perch was hard to find for any new hollows. So, how did Nel and her group manage to move in his exact direction? They couldn't have asked the other hollows living near him; they would never readily give out his location to new hollows.
Nel frowned as Pesche and Dondochakka whispered amongst each other.
Shirou hummed in thought from the sudden shift in mood. How strange.
"Well," Nel began slowly, lips pursed. "We stumbled upon it from this shini-"
A violent burst of wind.
The soft flutter of flowing fabric.
And a smile plastered across a pale face.
"That would be because of me," a Shinigami spoke, appearing causally out of nowhere.
Shirou narrowed his eyes. For the Shinigami to have just appeared without alerting him, he must have travelled in one movement over several hundred kilometers to have stayed away from his line of sight and smell.
He stared curiously at the Shinigami in front of him, the first of its kind that he had ever seen. Aside for the base instinct ingrained in his being of what a Shinigami was, it was entirely different seeing one in person. But what would a Shinigami want with him?
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, King of hollows," the Shinigami spoke. "Perhaps you would indulge me in a little talk?"
Silent leapt from roof to roof on the western side of Karakura Town, watching in fascination as people walked by. Some were running, some were talking, others lounging on park benches, but it didn't matter to Silent. All that did, was that Silent enjoyed the freedom of the Human World.
Hueco Mundo was home, and she liked the company of Shirou, Starrk, LIlynette, and the others, but there was something about just watching humans go about their day that drew her to them.
Right now, she was staring at a black spikey haired human girl going up against some other humans in white uniforms as she was passing by.
Tatsuki.
The name popped into her mind and caused her to miss her next foot hold. She gasped as she crashed and cratered the ground beneath her, drawing a few odd stares, yet no one could actually see her. At best, it looked as if the ground just spontaneously exploded.
Brans shook his head in the distance.
Silent pushed herself off the ground and huffed.
What was that? Silent pondered. The name had come so suddenly that she didn't know what to make of it. It was familiar yes, but that was all it was.
Her eyes began to wander back in the direction she had seen the black-haired human, but quickly focused on something more interesting in the distance. A blue streak of Reishi running across the sky from a nearby forest.
What could it possibly be?
In Hueco Mundo, it was normal to see random blasts of Reishi shot across the sky, partly because of Starrk. She had heard that ever since he had shown off his abilities several centuries ago, more and more freshly evolved hollows have been pestering him to fight. After all, what better way for a freshly evolved hollow to test his prows than on a superior foe that wasn't intimidating. Starrk hated it, but Lilynette adored the new attention. Thus, it was common to see blasts of Reishi in Hueco Mundo, but in the Human World?
She jumped back onto the roofs and made her way to the forest.
Streak after streak of Reishi continued to flash across the sky the closer she travelled.
Over there.
She stopped upon the branch of a tree, peering down into a clearing by a small river.
You shouldn't be out practicing by yourself.
Her head began to hurt, a hand placing itself over her forehead. What was going on? Ever since she had entered this town, image after image continued to flood her mind. Some were irrelevant, others more compelling. Staring at the small training ground situated in the clearing, it was clear to her that it was the cause of her pain. However, staring down at the clearing's occupant, her breath hitched.
Ishida Ryūken
She nearly lost her footing as a phantom of a white-haired man overlapped with the image of the young man practicing in the clearing.
She blinked, and the phantom disappeared. That was impossible. Who was Ishida Ryūken? Every time the name played in her head, she felt the need to suddenly hide, but why? As if sensing her, the young man turned in her direction, his eyes narrowed behind the small frame of his glasses.
She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She wanted to run, something about the young man drawing a reaction from her body. However, she couldn't run. Not when the boy made a bow out of Reishi.
We are purebloods.
She had stepped out before she had realized it, the young man tensing as she descended from the trees.
"Who are you?" Uryu Ishida asked. He could sense the presence of a hollow, but it didn't make any sense. The woman in front of him had no mask, nor did she have a hole in her body unless she was keeping it hidden beneath her clothes which, admittedly, were just rags that covered her top and bottom.
Ishida pushed up his glasses, he wasn't gonna go there. "Who are you?" He repeated.
She ignored his question, eyes set firm on the bow in his left hand. He stared at her warily.
Silent didn't know what to make of it. The Reishi in her body…
No, not even that. It was the way it moved to form over her left hand, the action foreign, yet familiar. She shouldn't be able to do this, her soul supplied. I-It was taken. Taken? She fumbled with her footing, drawing a slight look of concern from the young man before her. What was happening? S-She didn't know! W-Why didn't she know! Know what? Wincing, her right hand came to rest over her face.
"A-Are you alright?" Uryu asked, lowering his bow when he realized the woman wasn't out to attack him. It was more like she had just stumbled across his training ground because of some sort of attack? He glanced around the clearing and caught a glimpse of white in the distance. A hollow's mask. She was being pursued!?
Silent glanced up at the young bowman, confused with his sudden change in demeanour. More than that, she focused on the Reishi gathering within her left palm. She knew what she had to do, her body remembering the patterns.
Draw the Reishi from the world around you.
"Get behind me," Uryu spoke, eyes darting left and right in search of the distant hollow. It all made sense now, why he had sensed a hollow's Reiatsu. It was because of the hollow pursuing this woman.
Silent ignored the young man, and finally gave control of her body to muscle memory. Her arms moved with fluidity, drawing together and clasping. This was it. This familiar sensation. The Reishi gathered in her palm compressed and expanded, releasing a sudden wind as a shape took form.
She heard a startled gasp, but she paid it no mind, her gaze fixed on the bow of Reishi that appeared in her left hand.
Chapter 8: Beginnings
It was unbelievable, such a far-off notion that he was notthe last one. This woman, with her back straight, and gaze so nonchalantly ignorant of the approaching danger of the hollow chasing after her, was beginning to frustrate him. Could she not feel how dense the hollow's spiritual pressure was? He had never faced a hollow so strong, and yet it continued to linger in the distance. What was its aim, its goal? Why pursue the woman?
He glanced at his fellow Quincy. Older, more refined, and obliviously waving around her bow as if it was a child's new plaything. Already he could feel a migraine coming.
"Stop that," Ishida hissed. "Bows are to be treated with respe—hey! Are you even listening to me!"
No, no she wasn't, Ishida quickly realized as she tentatively began poking her bow with her free hand.
He sighed, and turned his attention back at the hollow. For whatever reason, it wasn't approaching, but that wasn't enough for him to let his guard down. He considered calling out, to stop this farce, but he was smarter than that. The hollow was strong, too strong for even him. It was a miracle that it hadn't even attacked yet. A temporary respite? Or did it enjoy toying with its prey?
His eyes darted across the clearing, noting the best paths of escape: Down the creek, or through the opening in the woods. He held no notions of being able to defeat that hollow alone, he was still too weak.
At times like these, you can rely on the Shinigami.
He growled as his Grandfather's words crossed his mind. There was no way he would stoop so low, not when they were the cause of his Grandfather's death.
"I'm going to need you to run," he whispered. A tilted head was his response. O for crying out loud, this woman! "Hurry and run, or maybe just go hide!" He finally shouted, absolutely sure he had managed to get his message through her thick skull.
She did neither. Smiling condescendingly down on him, like a mother would her naughty child, she just patted his head. Did she not understand the danger she was in? Or did she not even know she was being pursued?
"Stop that," he batted the woman's hand away and pointed a finger at her face. "You need to take this more seriously!"
She patted his head again with that same goddamn smile as if he were the one in need of a reality check. He had had enough. Moving away from the woman's grasp, he quickly noticed one thing.
She was following him.
His frustration was building again, and he could feel it in the rush of blood in his head. That, or the twitch on his left brow. He sighed, at least now he'd found a way to draw her away from the hollow, albeit, he would have to lead.
However, before he could take even another step forward, he paused as the clearing lit up in blue light.
He turned around to stare at the source, and gaped. That was impossible. How could she possibly make an arrow that large!
The woman had an arrow knocked on her bow, her eyes staring at it in sheer wonder. She moved it around, enjoying how it left small traces of spirit particles in its wake, and it looked utterly ridicules.
How much spiritual pressure did she have?
Suddenly it clicked, the reason why the hollow was pursuing her, and why it hadn't attacked yet. It was wary of her power, but at the same time, craved her power. Humans with high spiritual pressure always attracted hollows, but her case was simply absurd.
No wonder the hollow wanted her.
And based on the way the woman marveled at her bow, it must have been her first time materializing it. He pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing how lucky the woman had been. The hollow must have seen her materialize her bow and had become apprehensive. The sheer size of the arrow she produced did not dissuade that fa—wait?!
"Don't point it at me!" He yelled quickly. "The sky, damn it, point it at the sky!"
She blinked, before following his instructions. Moments later, she let the arrow loose as the strain on her drawing hand grew too large.
Ishida covered his eyes as the shockwave from the subsequent explosion uprooted the nearest trees and left behind a dense gathering of spirit energy in the air. Damn it, any Shinigami or hollow could have sensed that shot for miles. They had to get moving. Still…
It wasn't fair, he thought, staring at the sheer power behind the shot. He had been training for years and yet he could not boast of such power. It was why he could freely fire into the air without worry of too much detection.
He shook his head to remove it of such thoughts. If he wanted to get stronger, it would only mean to train harder.
His gaze shifted out towards the forest, looking for the hollow, but it was gone. There was no trace of its reiatsu that he could detect. Was it scared away by the explosion. Impossible, it was several classes stronger than the average hollow. One blast shouldn't have been enough.
It was at that point that a black cat strolled into the clearing, pausing as its eyes fell over the woman who stared right back. The woman waved, but the cat didn't move, its eyes trained intently on the woman.
Ishida waved to get the woman's attention, but apparently, the cat was of higher priority than him. Enough was enough. No more cats, and no more random materialization of bows. The hollow had left, and for all he knew, this was only a temporary respite. They needed to move. Grabbing the Woman's hand, he dragged her along. The cat's gaze not once leaving the woman's as they left the clearing.
Where could he take her? His father's place was out of the question, and he felt a tad resentful at his father for abandoning his duty as a Quincy. Then where?
Getting irritated, he soon came up with an idea. He had a second training ground beside a waterfall in the local park. There was nothing special about the area, but its water did have the ability to mask reiatsu. The story goes, that it had used to be a spiritual site where shrine maiden would go to cleanse themselves of impurities before any ritual.
He nodded, his head. It could work so long as she stayed near the area.
Letting go of her arm, Ishida motioned for the woman to follow him. It was then that he came to realization. He didn't even know the woman's name. And it was at the same moment that he realized something very important when the woman moved her mouth.
She couldn't speak.
Nel stood tense in front of Pesche and Dondochakka. Although the Shinigami had guided them here, it was hard to restrain the natural animosity she felt towards him and his kind. Even more so when she couldn't exactly get a reading on his reiatsu levels. What if he was a danger to Pesche and Dondochakka? She would have treated him differently if he had at least dissuaded her of such notions, but all he had done was smile cryptically.
"A Shinigami?" The King of Hollows asked.
Nel clicked her tongue, crossed her arms, and stared begrudgingly at Shirou before nodding.
Shirou turned a contemplative gaze on the Shinigami. He brought Nel here, and he couldn't sense any ill intentions in the man. He might as well hear him out. "What's your aim?"
"Such a fine domain," The Shinigami spoke instead of answering. "There's a distinction in the hierarchy of power. The weak grow, and the strong grow stronger through these swords of reishi scattered around everywhere, but," the Shinigami smiled coolly. "You yourself created them and gain nothing through consuming them, remaining stagnant."
Nel's eyes widened. She had assumed that the numerous swords in the King's domain were a naturally occurring phenomenon that the King himself partook in. How long had the Shinigami been watching to know such a thing?
Shirou remained silent as the Shinigami continued speaking.
"Do you not wish for more power?"
"No," was Shirou's response. "I have the power to protect, and that's all that I need."
His response rendered the Shinigami silent as it had most of the other Vasto Lordes. What kind of hollow doesn't wish for more power?
The Shinigami sighed. "Is that so?" He spoke. "Then what will you do when a time comes when that power is not enough?"
Shirou didn't answer, and the Shinigami took the opportunity to smile cordially.
"Do you know what's been happening within the Soul Society?" The Shinigami once again changed the flow of the conversation.
Again, Shirou had no answer.
The Shinigami crossed his arms behind his back before pacing.
"You see, we Shinigami in the Soul Society have been at an impasse for several centuries," It was the decision of whether or not to send Shinigami into Heuco Mundo to ascertain the presence of ancient relics left behind by the Soul King. "That is until this Holy ground was discovered by a small squad of Shinigami sent after much debate." Most being wiped out, and the rest, trapped within the Menos forest.
"Holy ground?" Shirou asked, his brow creasing.
The Shinigami didn't elaborate further, dropping the matter entirely before he simply began to peer across the vast dunes of Hueco Mundo.
Nel's eyes narrowed on the Shinigami. In a way, she understood what the Shinigami was doing. He had done it to her after all: The constant changing of topic, and the constant use of probing questions. It had served to throw her off, made her curious enough to avoid confrontation and ask her own questions. It was also how the Shinigami wedeled himself into helping them. He was definitely a cunning man.
She huffed and decided to watch how things proceeded.
"Have you ever wondered what separates a Shinigami from a hollow?" The Shinigami asked after a short moment. "Hollow, or Shinigami, both are souls that have gained power through their own machinations." The Shinigami paused and stared at the King of Hollows. "Do you understand why you and the other Vasto Lordes resemble us Shinigami so closely at a hollow's strongest form? Why you all evolve from beast to human? It's because we are drawn to each others power."
The Shinigami drew his sword, but made no motions to attack with it. "This is a Zanpakuto, a Shinigami's main weapon to combat you hollows. Each Zanpakuto is a reflection of said Shinigami's power and soul, and are unique in that in them exists a sentient being."
Call on us, King. We are here.
Shirou perked up in surprise. Voices, he heard them. He was sure.
"I suppose that grabbed your attention." The Shinigami stated. "Most Hollows consider a Zanpakuto to be a simple weapon, but we Shinigami believe otherwise. Take my sword for example,"
The Shinigami brandished his sword with one arm. "Its name is Kyoka Suigetsu."
Shirou already knew that from the moment he laid eyes on the blade. It was a true representation of the Shinigami's soul, but there was still something he was missing about it, its power, and for that, he needed to understand its wielder.
Analyzing the recorded histo-
"I'm not that easy, hollow." A woman spoke. He could see her floating, her image vague and obscured by dark shadows. "I'm not so crass of a woman to chase after another man; let alone someone who hasn't earned the right."
Shirou winced from the sudden pain in his head as the image of the women disappeared, and another reappeared in a word full of blades. He blinked, and he was once again staring at only the Shinigami.
The Shinigami smirked to himself as he moved his sword to his right hand. "It's a simple water type Zanpakuto, however-" The Shinigami swung it down in a wide arc, and Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka's eyes widened. "-With my spiritual pressure, it becomes a dangerous weapon."
Shirou raised a brow in confusion when nothing happened. The Shinigami had simply swung his sword.
"Hurry and move!" Nel suddenly called in warning.
From what?
Nel grabbed Pesche and Dondochakka, and jumped atop a large rock spire, leaving him behind.
"I'm surprised," the Shinigami spoke. "That you were able to notice my bluff without even flinching."
You didn't do anything though, Shirou reasoned in his head. But regardless, he wanted to get to the point of the matter. "Why did you come here?"
Brushing back his hair, the Shinigami made to grab something from his Haori, but frowned and reconsidered.
The Shinigami sheathed his sword. "A simple test," he said, a grin plastering itself over his face. "That, and to make your acquaintance." With this simple meeting, he had laid out the first of his plans. With the two rulers of Hueco Mundo under his illusions, there would be no hollow willing to oppose him when he finally sets everything in motion. For now, he needed to return and make a report for the Soul Society.
He turned to leave, but froze upon hearing a single question.
"Earlier," The king of Hollows began. "What purpose did it serve to just swing your sword?" The King of Hollows scratched at his head. "You called it a bluff, but you didn't even move from your position."
A gentle wind blew past, and the Shinigami glanced at his sword with the barest hints of surprise before blanking, and then promptly shifting his gaze towards Nel and her group.
Observations completed, the Shinigami slowly turned to face Shirou, his smile strained.
What the fuck?